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Leon Kershaw
|age = 24 |occupation = Mercenary/"Terrorist" |affiliation = Nightshade |family = Unknown | marital status = Single |goal = The fall of Amestris | status = Alive |skill = Alchemy, Combat |weapons = Various Firearms, Various Blades |unique trait = Scars |first = Unknown }} A member of the infamous terrorist organization Nightshade, Leon was raised as a warrior since infancy. His brutal upbringing is reflected in many aspects of his character, from his life's path as an assassin, to his straight forward and blunt demeanor. Though a glimmer of decency can be found if one is willing to dig deep enough, most people that encounter Leon find themselves at the business end of one of his firearms or razor sharp knives. Appearance Tall and more fit than the average man, Leon is a notable physical specimen. He stands roughly six feet, one inch tall and weighs about two hundred pounds. Though often concealed, those that catch a glimpse of Leon's physique often correctly assume him to be a fighter. Further leading people to this conclusion would be the scars covering Leon's well sculpted body. Leon had a jagged scar as the result of a knife wound on his left shoulder, a gunshot wound on the lower left side of his torso, a blotchy burn scar on his right leg and a thin scar across his right cheek bone. These scars indicate his experience as a worrier, magnifying his intimidating physical appearance. Leon's attire varies depending on the scenario. Though the color scheme of all Leon's clothing almost solely consists of the colors black and crimson, the actual articles of clothing are often changed to meet various needs. Leon's most common attires include his combat attire and his casual attire. Leon's combat attire consists of a tight sleeveless undershirt. Though the tops is form fitting, it is constructed from a flexible material that allows for full range of movements and does not restrict the wearer. Leon wears long pants not unlike that worn by state military personnel, minus the fact that they are colored black rather than blue and the hidden sheath on the inside of the waste to conceal a throwing needle. Leon favors them for their balance of light weight and durability. Not to mention the fact that they are common enough to be easily replaced. Leon's choice of footwear would be simple black combat boots with crimson laces. Though basic in appearance, Leon personally inserted several small sheets of metal into the fabric using his alchemy. In addition to the boot's steel toe, Leon can utilize the transmutation circles in his boots to manipulate the pieces of metal into spikes for use during combat. On occasion, Leon will add small sections of black and crimson mail type armor to his forearms and shins for added protection. To carry his revolver, Leon wears a high quality leg holster, constructed form a transmuted material made form leather and steel threads. Leon's knives are often carried in his duel rig shoulder sheaths, made from the same material as his pistol holster. To conceal his many weapons in public, Leon often is found wearing a long black duster with torn and frayed edges. The duster displays a crimson sword silhouette on the back, just above the center of Leon's spine. Leon's casual attire is only used in rare cases where Leon does not plan to be in any sort of combat. The attire consists of a crimson sleeveless shirt and black cargo shorts. If Leon chooses to wear shoes, his go to pair are nothing more than simple sandals. It is rather rare to find Leon in this attire, as he almost always travels in his fully equipped combat attire. One of the rare occasions where Leon wears his casual attire is when he is staying at an inn or hotel. He rarely goes out in public without his combat attire, meaning while is his casual attire Leon is often confined to his room. Even in this casual attire however, Leon still carries a concealed blade in the waistline of his shorts. Personality Leon would be the first person to admit that his hands are stained with red. He as a warrior has seen more than his fair share of bloodshed, he personally having killed several dozen people in his short lifetime, and injuring many others. As much as Leon tries to hide it, the killer has a different side, one that refuses to let go of the few remaining shreds of decency that let Leon still call himself a human being. In combat Leon is always calm and focused, even when facing great odds and unfavorable situations. Though many would take this confidence in his abilities for simple arrogance, Leon's confidence is not misplaced. He is a more than capable warrior, proficient with firearms, blades and hand-to-hand combat, and can easily outmatch a standard soldier. After years of both training and experience, Leon's focus in combat is extremely difficult to disrupt. He simply glides across the battlefield, methodically picking off enemies and completing his objectives without emotion. Because of this it is hard for those who survive an encounter with Leon, or simply observe him in combat to see him as anything but a killing machine. Leon attributes his lack of expression in combat to his training, as the idea of one having to block out their emotions in combat to ensure their own survival and the completion of the mission. Though even in the heat of vicious combat, Leon can sometimes surprise even himself with a glimmer of humor. Outside of combat, Leon is regarded as being a laid back smart ass. As he spends much of his time planning for combat, or actively in combat, much of Leon's free time is spent participating in relatively laid back activities, such as reading. To Leon, reading novels is a pleasant escape from the destructive path he has chosen. Though Leon's words tend to be precise and to the point, perhaps reflective of his straight forward style of combat, he does have a habit of poking fun at his allies and enemies alike. Constant outside of combat and even during combat, Leon has a hard time resisting a good one liner when the opportunity arises. Some suspect this tenancy to joke, even in dangerous situations is Leon's way of coping with the killing his lifestyle deems he perform. Despite Leon's training promoting ruthless efficiency, it was Olaf, the founder of Nightshade, whom had told every warrior needed to hang on to some sense of honor. "A warrior without honor was a thug at best, and a murder at worst." Leon took the veteran's words to heart. To Leon, honor means fighting for a cause bigger than their own personal greed, and never killing without reason. Leon has two primary reasons for considering a kill honorable. The first reason would be simple self defense. Though Leon's definition of self defense is notably broader that most's, including anyone who is or will eventually be a substantial threat to his success. This means even someone who is not actively engaging Leon could still be a viable target if Leon is almost certain they would engage him in the near future. Leon's second reason would be if the target was deserving of death. Those who Leon deems deserving of death primarily refers to the worst of society, being serial killers, rapists and human traffickers. History Leon was born to an Amestrian couple who lived in the city of Demeno. Born a healthy 7.8 pounds in the Demeno hospital, Leon spent his first night's sleep in the nursery with roughly two dozen other infants, his parents expecting to take their precious baby home the following morning. Unfortunately, Leon was not destine for a normal life, as his final night's rest in the hospital was interrupted by a raid for medical supplies. The perpetrators were members of the small terrorist group known as Nightshade, attempting to steal medical supplies from the hospital. The raid turned into an armed standoff when a platoon of Amestrian soldiers surrounded the hospital, trapping the terrorists inside. The few members of the hospital staff that remained and the various patients in the hospital suddenly turned into hostages, serving as a deterrent while both sides tried to conduct a plan. It was the Nightshade members that acted first, taking several infants from the nursery to use as shields, Leon being among the children. The infants proved enough of a deterrent to prevent the Amestrian soldiers form opening fire, allowing the Nightshade members to slip into the night and return to their headquarters with the infants. Having escaped the Amestrian soldiers, the members of Nightshade thought long and hard of what to do with the infants. Some wanted to return the children to their families, however none were willing to venture close enough to Demeno, for fear of being spotted and killed. Some even argued that the children would simply grow up to be more Amestrian soldiers, and wanted to kill the infants. In the end, it was Nightshade's leader, D. Olaf, whom had the final say in the matter, and his decision was to raise the infants as Nightshade members. Many were skeptical of this plan, but Olaf went on the explain how unlikely it was any of the groups current members would live to see the fall of Amestris, he himself being in his mid 50's at the time. Olaf assured his followers that the only real hope Nigthshade had was to "...forge the instruments of Amestris' future downfall." Having won over the majority, Leon was inducted into Nightshade's "prodigy" program, and his life as a warrior had began. Basic training was mixed in with standard schooling, taking place in isolation from the outside world. Leon, along with the other three children, were never given breaks, following a strict schedule all hours of the day. The children had all completed the equivalent of basic military training by the age of ten, in addition to courses in math, science, literature and history. Once they had all completed their schooling and basic training, the children all began studying alchemy, and each were told to find a way to employ their alchemy in combat. Leon, whom had excelled in weapons training and hand to hand combat, quickly found that alchemy could be an effective method of employing a variety of weapons on the fly. At first, Leon was only capable of creating simple melee weapons, such as knives and spikes, utilizing his alchemy. Leon's ability to form a variety of melee weapons, coupled with his close quarter's combat training, made him the most dangerous fighter among Nightshade's prodigy soldiers. Leon was thirteen years of age when the first leader of Nightshade, D. Olaf, was declared terminally ill, and lay upon his deathbed. Olaf requested that each of the prodigies be sent to his room individually, to hear the final words Olaf wished to speak in his life. Leon was the last to enter, almost saddened by the sorry state of Olaf, whom had raised the prodigies as if they were his own children. In a weak yet peaceul voice, Olaf went on to tell Leon how proud he was of the boy, and how confident he felt leaving Nightshade to a younger and more capable generation. Though Leon was glad to hear these words, it was Olaf's last words that had the most profound impact on Leon. Olaf, expending what little strength he had, lifted his head to meet Leon's gaze before delivering his parting words. "We have taught you many things in your lifetime, and you have learned them all so well Leon. I'm very proud of you for this, but this is not what makes me the proudest. What makes me the proudest is that you have managed to learn something that cannot be taught. The path of a warrior is a hard and bloody trail, full of death and destruction, but one must never forget that life is precious, you certainly haven't. For remember this Leon, my boy, there is a simple difference between a warrior and a murderer. A murderer kills without regard for life. A warrior kills to protect the lives precious to him." Leon left Olaf's room with the man's words echoing in his mind, even after Olaf was pronounced dead. It was those words that made Leon promise to himself that he would never forget Olaf's last lesson, that life should never be taken without reason our cause. Mere months after the death of D. Olaf, an attack on Central City occurred, supposedly carried from within the Amestrian military. Fuhrer King Bradly and his son Seleme Bradly were both declared dead after the attack, and a large portion of Central Command was destroyed. The facts of the attack remained confusing and incomplete, but there was no disputing the death of Amestris' leader, the man Nightshade had longed aimed to topple. At first, many of Nightshades members were elated by the news, but the feeling quickly dissipated. Nightshade continued to monitor the Amestrian government, keeping a close eye on Grumman, Bradly's successor. Many members of Nightshade were shocked at the decision made by the Amestrian government to completely reverse the policy on Ishavalens, allowing them to rebuild on their homeland. It appeared that the Amestrian government had abandon many of the practices that Nightshade had deemed heinous, leaving many to question the future of the organization. Years went by after the death of Fuhrer King Badly, the country seeming to make vast improvements. The Ishvalen people were once again beginning to thrive and relationships with boarding countries, with the exception of Drachma, began improving. Things had reached the point where many members of Nightshade no longer saw Amestris as an enemy. Nightshade's numbers dwindled, having dropped nearly fifty percent buy Leon's twenty-first birthday. It wasn't long till Leon himself made the hard decision to leave Nightshade and, with only what he could carry on his back, set out on his own to begin a new life. Equipment Metal Scraps One of Leon's most ingenious pieces of equipment happens to be by far his simplest. Leon almost always carries specially made pieces of metal on his person, usually inside his coat. These chunks of metal are rectangular in shape and contain transmutation circles inside them, allowing them to be transmuted at will. Leon achieves this by halving the metal, creating the transmutation circle and then rejoining the two pieces. When needed, Leon can quickly transmute these pieces of metal into various weapons, including knives and knuckle dusters. An added pro to carrying the pieces of metal as opposed to ready weapons would be the simple fact that should law enforcement catch him, they would be unaware of the fact that he was secretly carrying an arsenal of weapons. Blades Leon uses several types of blades in close quarters combat. Each weapon was crafted by Leon himself and can easily by transmuted into ray materials to avoid suspicion from any military or law enforcement. Leon's favorite blades are his twin black karambit knives. The curved blade design is ideal for hooking limbs and slicing through ligaments. Leon tends to target key points on the body with these blades, including but not limited to the hamstring, jugular and the muscles around various joints. When a heftier weapon is needed, Leon transmuted both of his karambits and excess materials to create a devastating kukri style blade. The kukri is capable of causing damage with blunt force alone, meaning thin armor provides inadequate protection form the weapon. Leon rarely keeps his metal in the form of a kukri, almost always returning the weapon to karambit form afterwards. Revolver One of Leon’s favorite types of weapons would be simple revolvers. Preferring them to automatic handguns due to their superior reliability and stopping power, Leon often carries a revolver under his jacket as his first line of defense in the event he is attacked. Leon’s most common revolver is a copy of the relatively uncommon Tacoma Series 11 .357 Light Frame Model revolver, created by Leon himself using alchemy. The only notable difference between Leon’s Series 11 and the factory model Series 11, besides the lack of serial numbers, would be the enlarged grip on Leon’s weapon, allowing the revolver to fit more comfortably in his hand. Though the Series 11 copy remains Leon’s favorite revolver, he is capable of transmuting his weapon into a different type of revolver altogether. Removing material can give Leon a smaller, more compact weapon and adding material can leave Leon with a heavier, high caliber revolver. Though Leon changes his weapon to best fit the current situation, he still prefers his custom Series 11 copy over all other handguns. Double Barrel Shotguns Perhaps Leon's most frequently used firearm, the trusty double barrel shotgun was the first firearm Leon was able to make using alchemy. Though simplistic in nature and limited to only two shots at a time, Leon still favors the weapons for their reliability and stopping power. Utilizing transmutation circles, Leon can alter the shape of a held shotgun at will, altering the barrel length and quickly changing between a traditional stock and pistol grip. Leon is even capable of changing the type of ammunition in the shotgun shells through the use of transmutation circles on the base of his cartridges. Some of the common ammo types Leon uses include buckshot, solid slugs and a unique ball and chain round. Though the shotguns require more material to make than Leon’s revolvers, the transmutation is still simpler, as the double barreled shotguns have significantly less moving parts than revolvers. Rifle Only used for special occasions, Leon's custom rifle is a single shot, high caliber killing machine, capable of eliminating targets at distances of a thousand yards with ease. This places Leon well out of the range of most small arms and virtually all alchemist abilities. The rifle is a single shot bolt-action design, chambered in Leon's custom .313 magnum cartridge. The round boasts a high muzzle velocity and penetration ability, especially when Leon is firing his custom jacketed ammunition. The size of the weapon, though it keeps the recoil manageable, makes it difficult for Leon to transport, even when broken down into its base parts. For this reason, Leon only used the rifle in premeditated situations, such as eliminating key targets or defending a position. Powers and Abilities Though Leon is well versed with a wide variety of handguns, his most frequent go to sidearm for close quarters is actually a shortened double barrel shotgun. Though lacking in capacity and being bulkier than traditional pistols, even at its minimal length, Leon favors the weapons for their simplicity, reliability, versatility and stopping power. Like his other weapons, Leon constructs his shotguns from raw materials, such as scrap metal and wood. Leon can use his alchemy to manipulate the shape and length of the weapon at will, altering the barrel length or adding a stock when necessary. Alchemy Leon, like many, began the discipline of alchemy at a rather young age. Leon, unlike most, was forced to train round the clock to master the basic concepts of alchemy in the shortest possible time. If he found himself stuck on a lesson, he was forbidden from sleep until the lesson was completed. The longest period Leon recalls going without sleep was roughly forty hours. By the age of 11, Leon has mastered the basics of alchemy (on top of basic military training) and left to his own devices to discover how best to employ it in combat. After about a month of experimenting, Leon discovered that alchemy was idea for creating effective improvised weapons on the fly. By simply carrying around pieces of metal, Leon could quickly create a dagger or throwing knife with ease. As Leon gradually improved his alchemy, he became capable of creating firearms from raw materials found in his surroundings, and eventually even live ammunition. Though Leon is capable of using alchemy for a large variety of purposes, he most commonly uses it to transmute weapons and create other improvised weapons in the heat of battle. The transmutation circle Leon uses is comprised of two outer circles as seen with many transmutation circles, two hexagons and two six pointed stars. In the center of the transmitation circle, Leon often places a small emblem, resembling a simplified version of the symbol found on Nightshade's flag. Hand to Hand Combat Leon began his hand to hand combat training at the age of seven. The intense training Leon was subjected to forced him to become accustom to pain, both reviving and dealing. Brakes and fractures were common for Leon, only to have the injuries repaired using bio-alchemy and inflicted upon him again until the lesson was learned. Over time, Leon began creating a personal style of hand to hand combat, revolving around elbow strikes, quick throws and punishing holds. Elbow strikes, which can be executed while one's hand is holding something, are ideal for scoring quick knockouts. Even if one of Leon's elbows do not knock out an enemy, they often leave cuts and stun opponents long enough for Leon to either escape or deliver a follow up attack. Throws serve as another effective way to quickly dispatch an enemy, but remain effective on enemies with head protection, such as helmets. Holds serves as an ideal way to immobilize and enemy and question them to gain information. From the hold, Leon can choose to kill or knock out the victim as he sees fit. There are few capable of matching Leon's capabilities in hand to hand combat, as his balanced mix of speed, strength and technique reflect his many years of intense training. Knife Combat Being the most common weapons for Leon to be found with, Leon is extremely skilled with knives. Knives were the first weapon Leon was able to transmute form scrap metals, making them his most trained with weapons. It took several years for Leon to find his favorite types of knives, but he eventually settles on the karambit style of blade. The curved knives are ideal for striking behind elbows and knees, quickly immobilizing an enemy and making a kill strike significantly easier. Leon usually carries two full sized karambit style knives on his person, or the raw materials to quickly transmute into the knives. With his karambits, Leon prefers to utilize quick and precise strikes, either ending a fight quickly or methodically cutting apart an opponent's body. Though his karambits lack range, Leon is easily able to maneuver around longer weapons if their wielder lacks the speed to defend from Leon's attack. When the situation demands a weapon with more sheer force than the karambits, Leon transmutes the two weapons together, along with another sheet of metal to create a twelve inch kukri. Though slower and less precise than the karambits, Leon's kukri is a hefty blade capable of cutting through even low quality metals. Though Leon often transmutes more standard knives or small karambits when in a pinch, he remains his most deadly when weilding either his two karambits or punishing kukri. Marksmanship As part of basic training, Leon practiced with a variety of weapons, ranging from automatic handguns, to rifles and machine guns. Through the course of his training Leon found that he favored high caliber weapons over high capacity, as they allow for greater range and stopping power. Utilizing his go handgun, his custom light magnum revolver, Leon exhibits skills that, though not extremely extraordinary, are still well above average, even among trained soldiers. Leon's shooting is superb, even when only using one hand. However, the light frame of his revolver coupled with the magnum ammunition makes for difficult followup shots. When utilizing his custom .313 magnum rifle, Leon has proven himself capable of hitting static targets up to a thousand meters. Though moving targets prove elusive, Leon is still more than capable of guiding his shots to their mark. Though not the best marksman in Amestris, Leon's skills with firearms remain one of his best tools for dealing death. Plot Several years have passed since Leon left the group that had raised him in hopes to find his own path in life. Still residing in Amestris, Leon began hiring himself out as muscle for hire, usually for relatively low wages helping people with bandits, robbers, domestic disputes and the occasional dangerous animals. Leon's combat skills earned him enough cenz to allow Leon regular inn and hotel stays and meals while still having enough left over to afford supplies for his alchemy. Though Leon found purpose in protecting those that couldn't protect themselves, Leon couldn't consider himself to be truly happy. He felt alone in the world without the companionship of his fellow Nightshade members. Among the Amestrian people, Leon felt like an outsider, and even felt genuine resentment when he spotted soldiers dawning "impractical" blue Amestrian uniforms. Leon was beginning to not only miss, but crave the old days, when he was a member of Nightshade. Quotes Trivia *Leon's taste in weapons is heavily reflective of his creator's taste in weapons. *Leon's favorite food would be apple pie, his favorite drink being hard apple cider. *Leon considers himself more of a cat person, as dogs seem to be the less intelligent of the two animals. Category:Dedmnwalkn88 Category:Characters Category:Alchemist Category:Human Category:Male Category:Nightshade Category:Amestrian Category:Character Category:Heart of Sin